The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have signed a Joint Project Preparation Facility (JPPF) Framework Agreement that will provide up to US$20 million to prepare high-impact infrastructure and industrial projects in South Africa and the wider Southern African region. Under the agreement, each institution can contribute up to…
ZARU, the South African rand-backed stablecoin, has expanded its banking ecosystem through a new partnership with Absa, one of South Africa’s largest banking groups. The partnership adds Absa to the network connecting ZARU with South Africa’s local banking infrastructure, strengthening the bridge between the physical rand and blockchain-based digital assets. The addition of a second…
M-PESA Ethiopia has expanded its cardless ATM cash withdrawal service through a new partnership with Awash Bank, giving customers broader access to cash withdrawals without requiring a physical bank card. Under the partnership, M-PESA customers can withdraw cash directly from supported Awash Bank ATMs using the M-PESA App. The service is designed to provide greater…
Mambu has launched Intelligent Core, a new strategic vision and technology architecture designed to bring core banking, payments and agentic AI together through a single open and composable platform. The company says the architecture addresses a growing challenge for financial institutions: adopting AI on top of legacy banking cores that were not designed for real-time…
Standard Bank Group and UnionPay International have expanded UnionPay e-commerce acceptance to nearly 900 merchants across Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The expansion enables participating businesses to accept secure online payments from UnionPay cardholders in local currency, US dollars or both, depending on market requirements. The capability is expected to…
Standard Bank Malawi plc has been named the Best Bank in Malawi at the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, while Standard Bank Group operations secured 17 awards across 12 African countries. The recognition highlights the group’s performance, financial services innovation and focus on delivering solutions tailored to customers’ evolving financial needs. Standard Bank Malawi Chief…
Emirates NBD has agreed to acquire HSBC Egypt’s retail banking business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Emirates NBD Egypt, expanding its presence in one of Africa’s largest banking markets. The transaction includes HSBC Egypt’s retail banking portfolio, branch and ATM network, customer base and relevant employees. While the financial terms were not disclosed, HSBC said…
GoTyme Bank has been named Africa’s Best Digital Bank 2026 by Euromoney, recognising its rapid growth and innovative approach to digital banking that has attracted 13 million customers in South Africa. Formerly known as TymeBank, the bank has become South Africa’s fastest-growing digital bank and was among the fastest digital banks globally to achieve profitability….
